Unconscious and not breathing - using an AED

Recognition and treatment

Look for

• To confirm if someone is unconscious and not breathing complete the steps of the primary survey - Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing (DRAB).

• Skip primary survey steps

Check for danger

• Are you or they in any danger?
• If you have not already done so make the area safe and then assess them
• If a person is drowning, only enter the water to rescue them if it is safe to do so, you have been trained to so, and they are unconscious. Dial 999/112 for emegency help immediately for drowning victims.

Check for a response

• Shout a command at them:
  • 'Can you hear me?'
  • 'Open your eyes'
• Gently shake their shoulders
• If they respond, refer to the treatment for someone unconscious but breathing - children and adults
• Shout for help.

Open the airway

• Help them to breath by opening their airway
• To do this, place one hand on the forehead and using two fingers lift the chin.

Check breathing

• Position your cheek close to their mouth
• Look, listen and feel for no more than 10 seconds:
  • look to see if the chest is rising and falling
  • listen for breathing
  • feel the breath against your cheek
• If they are not breathing commence cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Call for help

• If you have someone with you, send them to dial 999 (or 112) for an ambulance immediately
• If you are on your own, dial 999 (or 112) immediately and then continue with CPR 
• If unconsciousness is due to drowning, you should give five initial rescue breaths and perform CPR for one minute before making the call.

Position the AED beside them

• Remove medication patches and metal jewellery from the unconscious person. This should not delay the application of the AED.

Turn on the AED and follow the voice prompts

• Remove the electrode pads from their sealed packets
• Place them on the unconscious person's bare chest following the instructions given with the pads.

Shock if required

• The voice prompts will instruct you not to touch the unconscious person
• Instruct everyone to stand clear
• Any CPR being performed should stop
• Check that no one is touching the unconscious person.
• The AED now analyses their heart rhythm
• If they need to have shocks, the AED will charge and issue a voice prompt:
  • before giving the shock, double check that everyone is clear of the unconscious person by giving a second command to 'stand clear'
  • look to make sure everyone is clear
  • press the 'Shock' button on the AED
  • when the shock is delivered the unconscious person will jump - this is normal.

Continue

• Keep following the voice prompts issued by the AED
• Do not give up if the first shock seems ineffective.
• Do not stop unless:
  • emergency help arrives and takes over
  • they show signs of recovery such as coughing, opening eyes, speaking or moving purposefully and breathing normally
  • you become so exhausted that you cannot carry on.